A viral social media claim alleges that a government project in Uganda involved a $350,000 bridge, misrepresenting both the cost and nature of the project.
Videos circulating across various online platforms show State Minister for Local Government Hon. Justine Nameere inspecting government projects and appearing in shock by the condition of the structure, with the $350,000 figure widely cited in posts describing it as a bridge.
The incident itself is real. However, the project was in Kapelebyong District, not Budaka District. During an inspection of government road projects, the Head of the Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Secretariat, Maj. Martha Asiimwe, ordered a halt to a Shs2.1 billion road project over concerns about substandard and incomplete works. The inspection found poor drainage, missing road offshoots, incomplete works and culverts installed in low-lying areas, resulting in water stagnation. Daily Monitor Article.
The Head of the Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Secretariat, Maj. Martha Asiimwe inspcecting the project.
According to Daily Monitor, the 16.4-kilometre Acinga–Acowa Road project was awarded to Gat Consults Uganda Limited in 2024 at a total cost of Shs2.1 billion. approximately ($565,000 USD).
The project included road works and culvert installations.Importantly, the District Engineer clarified that the structure being described online as a “bridge” was provided for in the project design as a culvert installation, not a standalone bridge.
The culvert component was budgeted at Shs647 million, approximately US$170,000, rather than the viral US$350,000 figure. Of that amount, Shs366.4 million had already been paid for work completed on the culvert component.
Daily Monitor source for Shs647 million and Shs366.4 million figures
The inspection nevertheless identified serious concerns about the quality of the works. According to the inspection findings reported by Daily Monitor, a roughly 300-metre structure had developed potholes, used timber instead of stones and remained incomplete. Officials also raised concerns about works that did not conform to the approved designs.
What did Factjaja find?
The Factjaja fact-checking team reviewed the viral claim against available reporting and project information and found that the US$350,000 figure does not accurately represent the cost of the structure shown in the viral posts. The viral claim indicating that Budaka District officials spent $350,000 on a walk through bridge is misleading.
Part of a substandard culvert section that has been presented as a $350,000 bridge.
This article is part of Factjaja’s ongoing efforts to investigate and verify content flagged as potential misinformation across social media platforms. This fact-check was written by the Factjaja fact-checking team, edited by editor Ngabire Christine, and initiated following a whistleblowing report by Bayram Özaslan, a Turkish Investigative Journalist.
